"Tiaras & Glass Slippers"

   

     Hello there lovely ladies! It's good to be with you all again. My sincerest apologies for how incredibly long it has been since we were last together like this. I'm hoping my schedule will become a little more free soon. Cause I like you... Hehe.

     I decided to change things up a little this time around... Therefore I'm bringing you "Tiaras & Glass Slippers" today instead of on a Saturday. Sort of as a celebration of having a moment to write a blog post again. (insert wink face)

Today's sub-title is "Date Yourself".................................

     I won't make this long, but I just wanted to take the time to let you know that sometimes you need to take time to date yourself. What I mean by this is... Every now and then you need to take yourself on a date with yourself. It's super important to take time for yourself so you don't burn out. Plus there's something about it that makes you come alive. I think it's because of the following... 

1. It's a time where you are treating yourself.

2. It's a time where you are loving yourself.

3. It's a time where you are putting yourself first for once.

4. It's a time where you can finally draw away from life for a little bit and just breathe.

5. It's a time where you can reflect on life with less distractions.

     It is not wrong for you to love yourself, or even treat yourself. In fact it is very healthy to do so. It boosts your self-esteem greatly, and improves your outlook on life. Once you start appreciating yourself you can start appreciating those around you as well. Life suddenly becomes a lot more beautiful!

     Very often in life you need to put others first, but when you take yourself on a date you finally get a chance to put YOU first. It's not about being selfish, but simply about fighting for yourself and taking a break to refresh so you can step back into the world of people energized. Of course by this I don't mean you get the right to step all over people when you go on these dates. Obviously you still need to show respect to those around you.

     Going on a date with yourself is very relaxing. You for once don't have people hounding you for your time. Especially if you put your phone aside... Create an atmosphere of calm so you can intentionally breathe for a change. However, by this I'm not saying you can't take yourself on adventurous adrenaline dates. By all means! I'm sure that's relaxing for you if that's who you are.

     And last but not least... Reflect. These dates are perfect for checking into the "inner recesses of your heart" to see what is going on in there. Don't overthink it, but instead recognize God's presence and see where he leads. Yes, sometimes you will have to be super intentional about working through things, but most times just go with the flow. It truly is a great opportunity for self-growth.

     All this being said I would like to show you a peek into my most recent date... I dressed myself up in something comfortable yet classier than sweats (picture of outfit to follow). Then I packed up my laptop and headed off to "The Coffee Shoppe", only one of the best places in all of North America! Not exaggerating! My music was cranked and I was enjoying myself. I ordered some delicious supper, a Panini and a Fresas Con Crema, and then I sat and edited images from a recent photo shoot I did. I'm telling you was it ever so relaxing! And that was where I decided I should become more intentional with going on dates with myself! 

     And I would encourage you to do the same :) I'd also love to hear in the comments below what you've done on dates with yourself, or what you would like to do next...

And the outfit I wore that night...

• Spaghetti Strap Tank Top - Walmart
• Jeggings - Plato's Closet
• Long Cardigan - Bluenotes
• Laptop Bag - Walmart
• 99 cent Flip Flops - Walmart

     {Quick side note... Walmart is a great place to shop! Don't hate :P}

To All the Scared...

"I feel so alone. I feel like I can't trust anybody. The world is falling apart all around me. It's all so confusing, and I can't make sense of it. I feel like I'm drowning. But I also feel like I'm trapped in a space that is growing ever smaller. I'm broken, and I feel irreparable. I feel like I'm a glass vase that has been shattered."

"Will I ever be able to get up off the ground, or is this what the rest of my life is going to look like? Because this I cannot stand! This, whatever this is, is too empty. It's too painful. It sucks! And I want out!"

Do these thoughts sound familiar to you? They do to me. I've gone through seasons in my life where those thoughts rang all too loud in my head. One of these days I'll dive further into details, but for now you know what? There is a light at the end of what sometimes seems to be a very long tunnel. There is a God who is more powerful than we could ever fathom! You are a child of the Almighty King and he's got you! He's protecting you and keeping you from all harm. 

Psalms 46 in the Voice translation has helped me tremendously in trusting God's steadfastness. So in hopes it will be of encouragement to you as well, I've included it in this post. I highly recommend personalizing it as it has the opportunity to go so much deeper when you do. 

God is our shelter and our strength. When troubles seem near, God is nearer, and He’s ready to help. So why run and hide?

 

No fear, no pacing, no biting fingernails. When the earth spins out of control, we are sure and fearless. When mountains crumble and the waters run wild, we are sure and fearless.

 

Even in heavy winds and huge waves,

or as mountains shake, we are sure and fearless.

A pure stream flows—never to be cut off—bringing joy to the city where God makes His home, the sacred site where the Most High chooses to live.

 

The True God never sleeps and always resides in the city of joy;

He makes it unstoppable, unshakable.

When it awakes at dawn, the True God has already been at work...

God’s voice thunders and the earth shakes.

 

You know the Eternal, the Commander of heavenly armies, surrounds us and protects us;

the True God of Jacob is our shelter, close to His heart.

Come, gaze, fix your eyes on what the Eternal can do. Amazing...

 

God can stop wars anywhere in the world. He can make scrap of all weapons: snap bows, shatter spears, and burn shields.

 

“Be still, be calm, see, and understand I am the True God. I am honored among all the nations. I am honored over all the earth.”

 

You know the Eternal, the Commander of heavenly armies, surrounds us and protects us;

the True God of Jacob is our shelter, close to His heart.

A Generous Heart

     With Mother's Day approaching here in a couple of days I decided what better time than now to talk about one of the most beautiful things I've witnessed. A mother's generous heart. The generous heart of a mother is like no other. Let me show you what I mean...

      A mother is the one who stays up all night beside the toilet with her sick child.

     A mother is the one who cheers the loudest at her son's baseball game.

     A mother is the one who always makes the best food.

     A mother is the one with open arms to run into whenever you're sad.

     A mother is the one who cleans and cleans just so her family will feel at home.

     A  mother is the one who gives her body to the beauty of bringing a child into the world.

     A mother dedicates her whole life to something that brings much frustration, pain, and tears because she knows that the good will FAR outweigh the bad.

     

     Let's just take a moment to let that sink in. To let it sink in how much exactly our moms do for us. Oh my goodness! It's incredible! I'm convinced they're super heroes! I mean, c'mon, how else could they do all they do and so well.

     But you know what I've noticed? Generosity towards mothers is a lot harder to find... How often do we say thank you to them for all they've done? As a matter of fact, how often does society thank mothers for all they do? Often times we run from the table never bothering to thank her for the amazing food she made. When our laundry sits folded on our bed, it doesn't even cross our minds we should be thankful. When the house is clean when we come home from work we sit there and enjoy it, but don't worry about opening our mouths. 

     There's many other things I could mention yet too, but the reason I chose these were because these are the very things we most often forget to thank them for. These are the things they have labored over, and then in the end they very often don't even get as much as a "thank you" from us.

     I unfortunately, like many others, have taken part in this ungratefulness way too often in my lifetime. So today I want to encourage us all to start living with a generous heart, especially towards our moms. They have done so much for us! The least we could do is say "Thank you!". 

     But let's go beyond just saying how thankful we are and start showing it too. There's so many little things, and big things, we could be doing to show our moms we appreciate them. Let's start celebrating them. Not just on Mother's Day, but all year round. They deserve to be celebrated!

     So in conclusion I want to applaud all the moms and just let you know that we love you! Life without you would not be the same! You are very important to us, and we're sorry that we don't let you know more often! Keep on being awesome, because that is what you are! 

Happy Mother's Day!!!! 

"Life Is An Adventure"

Hi all! Man, has it ever been long since I've sat down with you to talk about life. Who knew it could stay busy for so long without stopping?! (I guess it's no secret.)

      Well, as promised I'd like to share with you a bit about my adventures I've had lately. So here goes...

     I left for Canada on February 21 with great excitement! After all I was going to see my best friend, who was getting married in several weeks. I couldn't wait to run into each other's arms at the airport, because after all airports are the perfect place for sappy greetings. But amidst all the great excitement there was also fear. You see, this was the first time I would be flying alone. I've never enjoyed flying much, so the thought of doing it alone always scared the socks right off of my feet. I couldn't fathom how I would ever be able to do it on my own. In fact, it was so bad that I procrastinated for weeks in buying my ticket. But alas, there I was at the airport having said goodbye to my parents, walking up those stairs to security, wondering, wondering, "Can I do this?"

     In the weeks leading up to this moment I had believed for peace and favor time and time again. I knew I would never be able to do it on my own strength, so I didn't even begin to try. One of my greatest prayers that day was that the security lineup would be super short. That way I wouldn't even have time to be scared. And you know what? The whole security experience ended up not taking much longer than ten minutes. Once I was through I took a deep breath and started heading towards my gate. One of the things I had been most afraid of was over now. I felt so relieved at the peace I had experienced.

     Everything else went fantastic as well. The flight attendants were friendly and helpful, and my seats were fantastic. But one of the highlights was how smooth the flying in itself went. Both flights were the smoothest I've ever been on. For the first time in my life it literally felt like I was floating on air. 

     My flight from El Paso to Denver was one I'll never forget. It is my absolute favorite route! First off, I love the city of Denver, and the airport feels so at home. It's from the easiest airports to navigate, in my opinion. And the scenery during the flight is astounding! And it did not disappoint this time either. In fact it was the most beautiful I had ever seen it. Shortly after leaving El Paso the sun started to set. And the clouds! Wowzers, did they ever add an extra touch of gorgeous! They weren't rugged or heavy. They appeared to be as light and fluffy as the air itself. It was beyond words!

     Arriving in Winnipeg I had to take up courage one more time for the border crossing. I was really nervous, but I soon realized I had nothing to be afraid of. It was more of an awkward experience than it was a scary one. Haha. 

     And now came the moment I had been waiting for... I walked out the doors and into the arrival area. My eyes searched the room for my friend. Our eyes met and so began our run into each other's arms. Sappy greeting in an airport can now be checked off of my bucket list! No, I genuinely was very glad to see her again. Man, I missed that woman!

     The next several weeks were full of bridal shower planning, wedding prep, and then at last the wedding. Of course many other crazy fun things happened too. Like for example... Exploring, dreaming, eating, laughing, talking, being in the moment.

     But the wedding... That was the moment I lived in most. It's not every day your best friend gets married, so there was no way I could take it lightly. Hecla Island Resort definitely did not disappoint as far as a venue is concerned! It was so beautiful! And the weather... I'm telling you it was gorgeous! And of course the most radiant faces in the crowd were that of the bride and groom. The love they had for each other was evident to all. It made my heart so happy!

     Now that the wedding was over my mind very fast began thinking about my trip home. Having been gone for a month I was anxious to get home. Not that I didn't have a great time mind you. But I was excited to sleep in my own bed and be in the presence of my family and friends again. 

     The adventure only continued with my travels home. I was able to catch a ride with friends who were planning to do the drive in one straight shot. No stopping for hotels! I love road trips so this of course was right up my alley. And choosing the route through Colorado was the best decision we could ever have made. Once again so gorgeous! And then in Colorado Springs we made a spontaneous stop for supper at Culvers and a movie in the theater. And then we continued our journey. 

     Oh, the smile on my face as I ran to our front door to greet my family. I was home! Finally I was home! Although I was beyond excited to be home again I can honestly say that the trip to Canada was the best experience I've ever had in my life! It was also by far the greatest adventure! 

     All that being said I just want to encourage you ladies. I've always been scared of being independent. And traveling alone terrified me. But you know what?! Nothing was as big of a deal as what I had let my brain convince me it was. I still can't believe that I traveled all by myself to another country, took care of myself, didn't run out of money, had lots of fun, and came home safely! Through this whole experience I realized I'm a big girl! And you are too!

     In whatever area of life you are right now where you know you need to take a step of courage... Just do it! Just do it! Know that the one who loves you to the moon and back will help you every moment of the way. He will never leave you or forsake you! And He wants you to live your life more abundantly. He created adventure, so go out and live a life of adventure. Just do it!

   

"Tiaras & Glass Slippers"

Hello Beautiful Ladies! It's been awhile since I've posted, but I'm happy to say I'm back now. Sometime next week I hope to share with you all that's been going on in my world the last couple of months. But today I want to go in a different direction and share something with you that is very dear to my heart.

Colbie Caillat's song "Try" is a very special song to me. Today I want to give you the opportunity to hear it. And I shall let the song speak for itself... 

(All music copyrights go to their rightful owners. I do not own any of the music.)

Please, beautiful! Just be you! It doesn't matter what other people think or say! 

Stop trying so hard to be perfect. You are already loved to the moon and back. 

You are precious!

You are lovely!

You are cherished!

You are blessed!

You are full of potential!

You are of a strong character!

You are YOU!!

And YOU are perfect just the way you are! You are not a bug to be stepped on, but a beautiful force to be reckoned with.

Do you like you?? Cause I like you!!

The Infinity Dreams Blog Award

     Good evening ladies. How are you doing tonight? I just want to start off tonight by apologizing for once again posting late. These last several weeks have been so extremely busy, and they don't show any signs of stopping. So because of that I regret to inform you that I will not be back to my blog before the end of March. But it's all for a good reason though. My best friend is getting married!! I am so excited for the adventure that is her wedding! So because my brain has been scattered all over the place lately, I will be doing a lighthearted post today. Luckily I had this uncompleted post stored up so I could complete it for your enjoyment today. A while back I once again got nominated by my wonderful friend Tracey to take part in a tag. So you may, or may not, learn something new about me today. Haha. 

     "As a side note I'd love to take a moment here to mention what an incredible inspiration Tracey has been to me. The way she writes captures my heart every time, and the words she speaks have such a gentle flow. She is a wonderful friend to have, and she has been such a great encouragement to me in this blogging process, as well as just in life in general. You should totally go check out her blog."

     Ok, so how this works is I must mention 11 facts about myself, as well as answer the questions put out for me. And hey, if you'd like to you can totally feel free to answer the questions as well, below in the comment section. So here goes...

     Eleven Facts About Myself

     1. If there is one thing in this world that puts a smile on my face, and a joy in my heart it is horses. I cannot thank God enough for creating such a beautiful creature! (Yes, I have mentioned this a gazillion times already.)

     2. One of my favorite hobbies is doing surveys. Seriously, if I could do it all day I would. If I could have it as my career I would. I mean, who doesn't love answering a whole whack-load of questions?

     3. BBQ Sauce and popcorn are two of my obsessions. Hmmm... I've never tried the two combined though... I wonder...

     4. Oh, and my newest obsession... Drum roll please! Airhead Extremes Candy

     5. I am the oldest child, grandchild, and great-grandchild. It's a pretty good feeling. Hehe.

     6. I loathe the cold, so my favorite season is summer. Spring is the most beautiful, but as far as weather is concerned summer takes first place. I really really dislike humidity though, so I guess that's a disadvantage of summer.

     7. This summer I came to realize that I LOVE to work within the house. Cleaning, cooking, making pies, laundry, canning, the whole enchilada. Except for baking. I'm still working on enjoying that one. I hate following recipes for fear that I'll mess up. But I did make some to live for sugar cookies, so I guess I'm improving.

     8. I always tuck my hair behind my ears. Always. It is insanely uncomfortable for me to have my hair hanging in my face, plus with my protruding ears my hair ends up behind them no matter what I do.

     9. I do not drink Dr. Pepper due to a hot desert experience I had. I am now sick of it, and will often rather drink nothing than take a sip of Dr. Pepper. I'm a Coke and Pepsi girl (depending of course on which country I'm in).

     10. I have never been on a roller coaster, and if the day ever does come it means that the miracle of all miracles has happened. It does not look fun to me, it does not look like a joyride to me. I prefer doing things like going to museums or rodeos. They do not cause me to barf. A much safer option I'd say. Haha

     11. And hmmm... What should be my last fact... Oh, I know!! I am someone who gets to say that I almost broke my nose once. Interesting story involving my brother and I. But before you jump to conclusions I will jump in and say that it was in fact my fault. So there's nobody to blame but myself. Aha. We didn't know though that it was broken until much later, so to this day I have a tiny little bump on my nose. But don't worry. I'm fine!

Eleven Questions  

1. Describe the most recent dream you can remember having.
     - I can't remember my last dream, other than that we weren't supposed to look at the pictures hanging on the wall at my work. Whatever that's all about...

2. "To infinity and beyond!" Who's your favorite Toy Story character?
     - To be honest, I wasn't the biggest fan of Toy Story as a kid. So because it's been awhile since I've seen Toy Story I had to go watch the trailer on YouTube to even remember who is all in it. I don't know if I have a specific favorite. However I do know that the the dinosaur and the pig crack me up every single time. Their voices, or something about them, is just so darn hilarious!

3. If Iron Man and Captain America were pitted against each other, who would you root for?
     - Interestingly enough this has actually become a thing since this question got asked. And I'm telling you, oh my goodness!! Such a hard question!! And yet totally not. I mean obviously I'd root for Captain America because, well, he's AWESOME!! But I love, and I mean love, Iron Man's humor. I can not tell you how many times I have almost died laughing because of him. Yeah, Civil War is gonna be tough. Dang it!

4. What are your top three favorite things about autumn?
     - Well, the funny thing is (ahem), I don't like autumn. Don't shoot, don't shoot! I realize I'm practically the only person on the planet who does not like autumn. But let's see if I can still come up with something I do like about it... Autumn means that Christmas is one step closer to being here. Yes, I am one of those Christmas nuts, who starts thinking about it in October. Another thing I like about autumn is that it's one step closer to my birthday. And yes, I start thinking about and planning my birthday 3 months in advance. I'm sorry, but I can't think of anything else. 

5. When's your prime time: morning, midday, or late at night?
     - Late at night. For the last couple of years 1:00 a.m. has been my average bedtime. It's something I have mixed emotions about. I know it's not healthy for me, and I haven't felt rested since I formed that habit. But why does it have to be so much darn fun staying up late?!?!

6. You've been handed the leash of an emperor's pet tiger--quick, what do you do with it?
     - Ummm... Be terrified? Duh! I don't have a hot clue what I would do, so let's hope that opportunity never presents itself!

7. Do you have any preparatory rituals for anything?
     - I guess I could say this has become a bedtime preparatory ritual. Every night before I turn off the lamp beside my bed, I drink like a cup of water. I don't know why, but I drink most of my water right before bed. 

8. Favorite song artist? 

     - Oh my goodness! I have way too many! So to make this easier on everyone I'll just share my most recent favorite. Andy Grammer. He's one of the only artists who has ever been able to get me grooving. If that's even a word anymore... Haha.

     

9. Name a real-life hero of yours.
     - Corrie ten Boom. Her story has been one of the most inspirational to me. The amount of Jews her and her family were able to save during the Holocaust, and her perseverance as she slaved away in Ravensbruck, are absolutely incredible. 

10. What's your goal in blogging?
     - I want you to know that you are loved, and that you are beautiful. I want you to know that you are never alone.

11. Name a film couple you shipped that ended up sinking. (in other words which movie couple didn't stay together even though you wanted them to)
     - SPOILER ALERT (it's an old one from Heartland, but for some of you it's a spoiler alert nonetheless) Scott and Lou. I always hoped they'd be a thing, but alas.


Well. it appears our time together has come to an end, for now. I pray you have a great night! And I will be back at the end of March. Love y'all! 

God of More Than Enough

     What kind of boxes have you put God into? Is he nothing more than a vending machine to you? Or are you making an effort to pursue his heart and the core of who he is? 

     Don't get me wrong. God loves to give. He is the best gift-giver out there. But we need to stop filling the vending machine up with coins (selfish, begging prayers) expecting something to fall down into the bin on command. God doesn't give on command... He gives because he wants to. He gives because he loves you and wants what is absolutely the best for you!

     Today I want to talk about one of the boxes we often put God into. And that is this... We often find it hard to believe that God has enough to give to us. Somehow we've gotten the notion that God's storehouse is running low on stock. Running low on miracles. Running low on peace and courage. Running low on protection. So we become afraid to ask him for things, or at the very least we just stop asking for the "big things". 

     I can't even tell you how many times I've wondered how in the heck I picked up on the absurd idea that God doesn't have enough to give. I mean literally every time you open the Bible, or listen to a message or a worship song you hear about God's abundance and his promises to us. But somehow we always go back to, "He doesn't have enough for me. How could he? I'm just a stupid piece of trash anyway."

     But listen, Beautiful. The God we serve is a God of more than enough. In case you missed it, let me say it again. God is a God of more than enough! Seriously, we can look at example after example in the Bible where he gave. He didn't give sparingly. He gave more than enough. And if we let him, that is how he always gives to us today as well. 

     But do we let him give to us abundantly? I think we often don't. I at least know I haven't always. What do you think the reason is? Could it be we've fallen so in love with sympathy that we've come to a place where we want sympathy even from God? If we get sympathy from him we figure we can stay sitting motionless on our behinds, and get a free pass to keep on complaining about how hard life is. However, as soon as we start believing God's storehouses are stocked the option of inaction flies out the window. We shouldn't become couch potato Christians. 

     Worth plays a huge role as well... We often don't feel like we are worthy of receiving anything from a holy God. We look around and see lots of people who appear to be more qualified than us to get a miracle, or to receive wisdom. We cut ourselves short, and don't allow ourselves to believe we are worth receiving any precious gift. We're often scared we'll ruin the gift. But once again, believing God's storehouses are stocked changes everything. It is then we start feeling worthy. 


In closing I have several points that I quickly want to share with you...

• God wants to do more than just give you the parking spot close to the store entrance. Yes, it is his pleasure to give that to us. But! That is only a very small portion of the incredible blessing he has for us. Let's start being bold in our prayers! Let's start believing that God cares about the big things in our life as well. Let's be audacious!

• Seeking the good things of God does not mean we are just seeking the gifts he gives us. It means we are seeking after him and his trustworthy character. It means we develop a deeper and more intimate relationship with him. 

• Everything about God is more than enough! Everything! The grace of God, which is the undeserved favor of God, is more than enough! Please listen very closely to these next words... God doesn't do a half-assed job at anything! Everything He does is of a more than enough nature. 

• God doesn't just barely save us. 

• He doesn't just barely heal us. 

• He doesn't just barely protect us.

         Get the drift? He is the God of more than enough, Darling, more than enough!! So today, and every other day, when you open your eyes, open them expecting and believing that God can do more than enough for you! He will provide! 

God's delight will be demonstrated to you.

____________________________________